Assignment 7: Discovering Light

Reflection

Experience: I was nervous going into this assignment. I can’t say I’ve had much studio experience, especially one I created. I am astonished by how simple it is to set up a studio, create diffusers, and make a backdrop. The first COUPLE times I attempted the assignment, it was not easy, but after enough experimentation, it became uncomplicated. That is not to say I didn’t have any hiccups along the way (I had a lot). I enjoyed playing around with light painting, and I intend to practice it with other objects. My biggest mistake was not planning an exact time to shoot to utilize natural light( I had to repeat a portion of the assignment twice at different times). Overall, I had a fun time, and I’m excited to see what other photos I can create in a studio setting.

Learning: I had limited experience manipulating light before this assignment and nearly none in a studio setting. My studio (my bedroom) had several windows, although most of my photos were shot at night. It would have been beneficial to have planned out when I was going to shoot each photo. The natural light helped me produce my High Key image and had less of a glare. Another mistake I made was not being aware of what was leaking into my backdrop and camera view. I was nearly finished with the assignment, cleaned up my studio, put EVERYTHING away, and had uploaded my photos on WordPress when I noticed that my camera strap had leaked into the edge of the backdrop on two of my photos. I didn’t even see it in Lightroom Classic. I had to set up everything again to reshoot the two photos. I learned I should double-check everything, especially the edges of my images, before I close up shop.

Future Application: In the future, I plan to utilize as much natural light as possible before using artificial light. I can accomplish this by planning which shots need a lot of natural light and then picking a time and day to shoot them. I am also going to be aware of the edges and corners of my photos. I need to make a conscious effort to check and think about that before and after shooting.